Every time I post something on Google+, and the little posting box shifts to the middle (and lags for that half second), it reminds me of Christian Bale's batmobile, and how his seat takes precious time to shift to the middle and belly-reclines for "attack mode", for no practical reason other than it looks cool -- and of course the first you want to do when you're preparing to take action is WASTE MORE TIME.

Okay that was my roundabout way of saying, Google+, I think your little shifting box is silly.﻿

Megan Draper worries about it. Pete Campbell's girlfriend worries about it. In two straight episodes of this season's #MadMen , characters have mentioned how careless human ignition of wildfires can devastate Southern California landscapes. Learn how human ignitions play a role in wildfire hazards in this post: http://www.werc.usgs.gov/outreach.aspx?RecordID=210﻿

Romantic affairs and office intrigue aren't the only things heating up this season of "Mad Men", the American television drama about a fictional advertising company in the 1960's. (Minor spoilers below -- and a reminder on how ecological science can help us manage natural hazards.) ...